Dead Wrong

Dakota Mystery #3

by M.K. Coker

The trucker who’d hit a Wrong Way sign lay hunched over the wheels of his semi—with his brains blown to bits, a revolver in his hand. Leo Jurczewsky had long talked of killing himself. So when Sheriff Karen Mehaffey and Detective Marek Okerlund are called to the Reunion, South Dakota, exit ramp to investigate his death, they’re ready to wrap up the case.

But it all goes wrong when the pathologist rules the gunshot wasn’t self-inflicted. So was it homicide—or a twisted form of assisted suicide?

Then someone starts leaving drawings of crosshairs—gun sights—for various leaders in town, including Karen. If that wasn’t enough, word comes of the suicide of someone close to her. Meanwhile, Marek takes in a heavily pregnant runaway—who looks far too much like his dead wife.

As Karen and Marek try to follow a killer’s wrong turn, they both get an inkling of why life can become too much to bear.

DEAD WRONG is a character-driven police procedural of a rural bent. Third in series. Word Count: 86,000. Occasional profanity. Minimal gore.

298 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 6, 2014

About the author

M.K. Coker grew up on a river bluff in southeastern South Dakota. Part of the Dakota diaspora, the author has lived in half a dozen states, including New Mexico, but returns to the prairie at every opportunity.

Reviews

[Jan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like the characters in this series and enjoy watching them grow. I did find this one a little depressing and if suicide is a trigger for you, I suggest you pass on it. I will definitely be continuing the series, even though this one was rather bleak, making it a difficult read.

[J.J. Rusz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wouldn’t want to live in fictional Reunion, South Dakota, where every local seems to have a tragic backstory, but it sure makes a great setting for “Dead Wrong,” the third book in M.K. Koker’s Dakota mystery series. This time around, the already strong figures of Sheriff Karen Mehaffey and Detective Marek Okerlund deal with folks of all moral shadings (themselves included), and the resulting dilemmas—both personal and public—are downright compelling. In fact, the twists and turns here might seem overdone if Koker’s writing weren’t so good, rising to eloquence more than once.

[Deb Outland · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m not quite ready to abandon this series because I enjoyed the first couple of books quite a bit. But, another one where the characters just don’t seem to make sense much will definitely sync about as far as I’m concerned. I’m not sure the author really understands Their own characters! I share it on that’s for sure! Here’s hoping for a bit more clarification in the next book.

[Amy Hancheck · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just ok

This is the third in a series. The first two were more interesting but I continue to enjoy the character development Coker is building while intertwining mystery with character growth.

[Tamara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good Series

I am enjoying this series completely. The characters are down to earth, good people. Karen and Merrill are a great team. The exchanges between the characters is realistic. I’m sure I will be reading every book in this series.

[Linda Pobanz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wrong

The book was full of drama and dreams unfulfilled. Yet, it ended well. It was so exciting, I found it hard to put down. Can't wait until the next one!

[Vicki Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read it straight through!

Take a vacation without leaving home - perfect book to escape for the weekend. Looking forward to the next in the series!

[Margaret Millmore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Note: this review will be posted for all five books in this series – I purchased each in order over the course of 10 days or so, I could not put them down!

Marek Okerlund and his young daughter need a fresh start. His wife and unborn son were recently killed by a drunk driver, his daughter is badly traumatized by their deaths and his job as a detective in Albuquerque is too much to handle. He decides to return to his home town, hoping its small rural community will be less violent than the big city and allow him and his daughter to heal. But this small town has its own problems, primarily, the stigma of Marek’s past and the past of his family.

Each of the books start with murder, and the mysteries are complicated and well done, but it’s the dynamics of this rural world, its people, its landscape and everything else that has me hooked on this series. As the series develops, Marek overcomes a great deal, but is still forced to overcome more. His half-brother hates him, his boss is his niece and his grandfather was a murderer, and no one has forgotten that. On top of everything else, Marek’s childhood dyslexia left the residents of his hometown thinking he was a bumbling idiot, something he is far from, but can’t seem to outlive.

Typically I receive books for free in exchange for an honest and unbiased review, however this is a verified purchase. See all our reviews at http://www.bookexplosions.com/ or on Goodreads at https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...

[Patti · Rating 5 out of 5]

In M.K.Coker’s series of books set in South Dakota, the key to the series is in the past, and readers are given details as to what’s taken place on the desolate prairie in dribs and drabs along the way. There are many secrets for such a small town, but people have learned not to talk too much and mind their own business.

In Reunion, South Dakota, Sheriff Karen Mehaffey has an apparent suicide on her hands. Leo Jurczewsky had been threatening for some time, so when he’s found in his truck off the road, a gun in his hand, and his brains blown out, it seems pretty cut-and-dried. That is, until the medical examiner rules it a homicide.

This forces Karen to call in her Uncle, Marek Okerlund. He’s her father’s much younger half-brother whom Arne (a former sheriff himself) helped run out of town many years ago. Following the death of his wife and unborn son, he brings his young daughter back to Reunion as an escape from sorrow. However, that decision has deeper ramifications, as he takes on the job of a part-time detective. Since he returned, part-time seems a lot more like full-time and Arne has been filling in on the child-care duties.

To read my full review, please go to: https://thoughtsfromthemountaintop.co...

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good #3 in a great seried

A good read whose characters ring true. And drawn from life the reader cares about them and that is essential for a goodread . The plot keeps you involved. The reader reads to see it unravel and he does not guess the twist halfway into the book Mk Coker does not disappoint her readers. Book4 is next and book5 is being written. That is a good thing..

[Patrizia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Questa serie mi sta piacendo sempre di più. Mi piace come viene trattata la vita personale dei due personaggi principali, mi piacciono le storie e in questo caso mi è piaciuto come è stato affrontato il tema alla base del libro, cioè il suicidio. Spero che l'autrice la continui a lungo.

[Mustang · Rating 4 out of 5]

Truly this book had so much good stuff going on, that it was exciting. First, a suicide, that really is a homicide, a deadly stalker, chasing down the crime enforcers, and a pregnant girl, who is very mysterious.

[Ann Poole · Rating 5 out of 5]

All M.K.Coker's books are great they had murder, mystery, mayhem and lots of great dialog between the main characters. Love it.